This report examines socioeconomic changes that occurred between 1990 and 2000 associated
with implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) in the Olympic National
Forest in western Washington. We used a combination of quantitative data from the U.S.
census and the USDA Forest Service, historical documents, and interviews from Forest
Service employees and members of three case study communities—Quilcene, the Lake
Quinault area, and the Quinault Indian Nation. We explore how the Plan affected the flow of
socioeconomic benefits associated with the Olympic National Forest, such as the production
of forest commodities and forest-based recreation, agency jobs, procurement contract work
for ecosystem management activities, grants for community economic assistance, payments
to county governments, and opportunities for collaborative forest management.
The greatest change in socioeconomic benefits derived from the forest was the curtailment
of timber harvest activities. This not only affected timber industry jobs in local
communities, but also resulted in declining agency budgets and staff reductions. Mitigation
efforts varied. Ecosystem management contracts declined and shifted from labor-intensive
to equipment-intensive activities, with about half of all contractors from the Olympic Peninsula.
Economic assistance grants benefited communities that had the staff and resources
to develop projects and apply for monies, but provided little benefit to communities without
those resources. Payments to counties served as an important source of revenue for rural
schools and roads.
We also examine socioeconomic changes that occurred in the case study communities,
and the influence of forest management policy on these changes. Between 1990 and 2000 all
three communities showed a decrease in population, an increase in median age, a decline in
timber industry-related employment, and an increase in service-industry and government
jobs. Quilcene’s proximity to the larger urban centers has attracted professional and service
industry workers that commute to larger economic hubs. Lake Quinault area residents are
increasingly turning to tourism, and its growing Latino population works in the cedar shake
and floral greens industries. For the Quinault Indian Nation, employment in tribal government
and its casino has helped offset job losses in the fishing and timber industries. Many
changes observed in the communities were a result of the prior restructuring of the forest
products industry, national economic trends, and demographic shifts. However, for Quilcene
and Lake Quinault, which were highly dependent on the national forest for timber and served
as Forest Service district headquarters, the loss of timber industry and Forest Service jobs
associated with the Plan led to substantial job losses and crises in the economic and social
capital of these communities.

Description:

viii, 96 p.Print copies of this title are available through the UO Libraries under the call numbers: KNIGHT SD11 .A4557 no. 679: and: SCA OrColl SD11 .A4557 no. 679